Winemaker Notes
True to the vineyard, this wine is made with 100% estate Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a robust wine that showcases the balance of power and elegance. A first glance at the deep, dark ruby color fringed with mahogany suggests a wine of great character and complexity. The nose is redolent of intense, concentrated red and black fruit with hints of chocolate and tobacco, finely-framed by delicate oak. Each sip reveals a new flavor dimension; black currant, blueberry, dark Bing cherry and
plum mingle with tobacco, leather, cocoa, black pepper, and allspice. Supple tannins dance around balanced acidity to give a silken finish that goes on and on.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a thoroughly modern Cabernet. It could come from the Napa Valley floor, and is not particularly representative of Knights Valley. But it is flashy, with massively ripe blackberry, red currant, oak flavors, with oak providing a rich jacket of toast.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
A small and picturesque valley separating Napa Valley on its south border and Alexander Valley to its north, Knights Valley excels in similar varieties as the two aforementioned appellations, namely red Bordeaux varieties and blends, as well as Sauvignon blanc. Originally established by Beringer Vineyards, today several outstanding producers claim acreage here. The circadian cooling effects of the nearby Pacific Ocean create a nighttime respite for vineyards during the hot growing season.